Austin: H-E-B to Build New Southwest Side Store as Part of Renovation/Expansion Drive

Austin (Travis County)–San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B announced plans Oct. 3 to build a 90,629-square-foot store at the southeast corner of U.S. Highway 290 and Farm Road 1826 in the Oak Hill neighborhood.

Add Oak Hill to the company’s ongoing series of projects involving new store construction or improvements to existing stores around Central Texas.

The retailer filed plans with the city earlier this year regarding the 30 vacant acres it owns at Southwest Side. Construction on the $18 million store is slated to begin in February 2020.

When this store opens by late 2020 or early 2021, it will replace a 69,000-square-foot, 33-year-old H-E-B located less than two miles away, at U.S. 290 and Texas Highway 71.

Fort Worth-based RSP Architects is attached to this project. The store will be accessible from both U.S. 290 and FM 1826.

“We are excited to answer the call for a new store for the growing community in southwest Austin,” Leslie Sweet, H-E-B’s public affairs director, said in a company news release.

“With an enhanced in-store experience and the highest standard of service and selection, we tailored the store to serve the needs of our longtime Oak Hill customers that deserve the best we have to offer.”

H-E-B owns this vacant tract at Farm Road 1826 and U.S. Highway 290 where its new Oak Hill store will be built, in Southwest Austin. Image: Google Streets

The design for the new Oak Hill store will emphasize conservation and sustainability.

It will incorporate the look and feel of surrounding communities and involve several environmental sustainability elements–rainwater harvesting, water retention ponds, adherence to impervious cover regulations, and compliance with all aquifer regulations.

Provisions will be put in place for future a solar panel installation. H-E-B maintains large solar installations at 23 Austin-area locations.

The new H-E-B will also feature its signature Curbside service, 24 check-out stands, a pharmacy with two-lane drive-thru service, and its other standard features and departments.

Several Austin area H-E-B stores, such as 2701 E. 7th St. and Congress Avenue/East Oltorf Street, have undergone renovations in recent months or are undergoing upgrades and expansions.

The company just began construction on a 110,000-square-foot store at 715 S. Exposition Blvd. and Lake Austin Boulevard.

That location, featuring a two-story porch overlooking the Colorado River, opens in less than two years.

Edmond Ortiz is a lifelong San Antonian and a 20-plus-year veteran in local journalism, He previously worked full-time at the San Antonio Express-News, and has been freelancing for outlets such as the Rivard Report.